Having a photographer at the birth of a child is not unheard of these days. Birth photos are a beautiful memento of one of the most extraordinary experiences in a mother’s life.
A Florida-based family photographer Kathy Rosario has captured the emotional moment her close friend gave birth to her third child, a babygirl, during an at-home water birth. Photographer Kathy Rosario specializes in taking pictures of infants and ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ women. When her friend and colleague, said it plans to ɢɪᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ at home, Rosario offered to capture the intimate process. She said: “For me there is nothing more wonderful than to see how women ɢɪᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ, and when it happens in the comfort of your home, they will feel even more special. We were expecting the appearance of the child in the bliss and tranquility. Home ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ in the water the most serene of all that I have photographed. Mom – the most wonderful creatures in the world! Look for these priceless photos and see how incredible the human body can be!”
Photographer Kathy Rosario of K Ro Photography has always been interested in capturing stunning photos of ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, ᴄʜɪʟᴅʙɪʀᴛʜ, and babies. According to Kathy, when a woman gives birth at home, it creates a different atmosphere filled with pure bliss and tranquility. She has Been used to capturing moments of ᴄʜɪʟᴅʙɪʀᴛʜ, but there is something about home birth that makes the moment extra special. There’s something compelling about birth. Despite the ᴘᴀɪɴ and ʀᴀᴡ ᴇᴅɢᴇ, birth and the story of birth have drawn people in for as long as we remember. Not really a surprise then that images of birth and of newborn babies, awake our curiosity and evoke a sense of calm joy, even though the photos might be ᴄᴏɴꜰʀᴏɴᴛɪɴɢ.
Her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ friend – whose name has not been shared – already had two little boys, age four and two, when she decided to welcome her third child at home. Shot over the course of two hours, the collection of photos documents the woman’s ʟᴀʙᴏʀ ᴘᴀɪɴs, the baby’s ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ, and the sweet moments of bonding right after the newborn comes into the world. In one of the first shots, the woman is seen in a jacuzzi style tub, hunched over as she practices breathing through her ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs. Ms. Rosario said that the room smelled like lavender, and the mother was completely calm – in fact, she was smiling and laughing in between the ᴘᴀɪɴ.
As the ʟᴀʙᴏʀ progresses, the mother is shown wearing just a neon pink sports ʙʀᴀ, with her lower body submerged in water. Cushions support her back and head, and her hair is pulled back from her face in a ponytail. Cooling cloths have been placed on the mother’s forehead and ᴄʜᴇsᴛ, and she sucks on a ‘ʟᴀʙᴏʀᴀɪᴅ’ popsicle that she made herself. Finally, the baby – covered in purple ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ – is shown emerging. The mom ᴘᴜʟʟs her newborn out herself while under the supervision of a skilled ᴍɪᴅᴡɪꜰᴇ.
She then checks between the baby’s legs and learns that it’s a girl. The happy mom is clearly excited to have her first daughter, and the photographer describes the moments after the discovery as ‘pure bliss’. With the help of two ᴍɪᴅᴡɪꜰᴇs, the new mom gets out of tub and has a towel draped around her shoulders. She seems ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ as she holds her newborn girl against her torso. With the baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms, she then lays down in bed and tries to ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛꜰᴇᴇᴅ for the first time. Dad comes to visit too, looking in awe at his newest child.
Relatively ʀᴀʀᴇ in the U.S, water births are thought to help ease ᴘᴀɪɴ for the mother, which can negate the use of ᴀɴᴇsᴛʜᴇsɪᴀ and make a natural, ᴅʀᴜɢ-free birth easier. They can also speed up ʟᴀʙᴏʀ and help the mother relax. However, despite the possible benefits, the practice is still considered experimental and has some ʀɪsᴋs. Many doctors suggest that the mother come out of the water when she starts to ᴘᴜsʜ, to create an easier environment for professionals to help in the event that something goes wrong. Water births are also not recommended if there are any foreseen ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs, like if they baby is in ʙʀᴇᴇᴄʜ, the birth involves multiples, or if the baby is especially big or ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ. Still, Ms. Roasio said that seening how serene her friend’s water birth was made her wonder why so many women without ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs still elect to ɢɪᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ in the hospital. She did note, though, that it is still important to have a trained ᴍɪᴅᴡɪꜰᴇ and a backup plan for ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄɪᴇs.
